A few ranges down here in Moab. Some rather picky hardcore bikers really like the range, in fact they were super impressed. I am 5'10" and the medium range is longer than my current medium RFX. My buddy who normally rides a medium had to go down to a small in the Range because it was too big for him. The medium should be a great fit for you. In other words, the range runs big, hence the medium should be perfect for your size. A large would be too big for you. If you have questions call Chili Pepper bikes. They can give you a pretty good review since they have some ranges and the trails have been dry so people have some time on the range.

Thanks for your answer. I'm 5'9" but i think medium should still be ok.
What do you think about the BB height? 355 with the small nobby nic tires sounds quite high.

I'm also interested if anybody had a ride on the Range 2 with the Monarch shock and how he likes it. Read some reports, that these shocks are rather overdamped.

like the last poster said, it would be great to hear from some range owners on there opinions on the bike! Im interested in possibly getting on but the price is pretty steep for my budget....want to make sure its worth the $$.

ive got a range 2 and it's by far the best bike i've owned to date. ive thrown all types of riding at it and takes it like a champ. i upgraded the front shock and that has made a slight difference feels better in small bump compliance. the bike descends beautifully too, just up open the gate on the rear shock and have fun. not too heavy either. i feel that this bike has helped my skills as well in regards to descending and body control.

Picked up my new Range 1 last friday at my lbs. This bike is replacing my 2004 Turner 5 Spot as my main rig. Let me start by saying this bike is incredible! I knew it was going to be good but man o man does it rock.

First thing i noticed was how much stiffer it is with the 20mm front and syntance rear axles. You can pick almost any line no matter how crazy it may seem and the bike will hold a line, really impressive. Rear travel is super resppnsive with what seems like endless travel. I set the fox rp23 shock with a good third of sag and same with the fox talas front shock. Bike just eats up the rough stuff. The fork angle is more slack than the Turner making the steep stuff easy to tackle.

I could go on and on about how impressed my initial 5 rides have been. I think Norco hit a home run with the Range. A bike that climbs well and can handle any descent you can throw at it. Good stuff!

Thanks for your answer. I'm 5'9" but i think medium should still be ok.
What do you think about the BB height? 355 with the small nobby nic tires sounds quite high.

I'm also interested if anybody had a ride on the Range 2 with the Monarch shock and how he likes it. Read some reports, that these shocks are rather overdamped.

I demoed a Range 2 this week. The monarch is waaay overdamped for my liking. So much so that this bike is being sent to the bottom of my list. The 1 may be better with the Fox RP23, but I couldn't say without riding one

ive got a range 2 and it's by far the best bike i've owned to date. ive thrown all types of riding at it and takes it like a champ. i upgraded the front shock and that has made a slight difference feels better in small bump compliance. the bike descends beautifully too, just up open the gate on the rear shock and have fun. not too heavy either. i feel that this bike has helped my skills as well in regards to descending and body control.

The Range Rocks!

Love the Range 3!!
I'm 6'1" and 185# and ride an XL. I have long arms and legs and felt like I was riding the front wheel on a large. I'm very comfortable on the XL, and it's definitely the right size for me, as I was professionally fitted by a very well respected shop in Southern Ontario.
I don't find the Monarch shock to be overdamped at all for my weight and riding style. I messed with the forks a bit, trying stiffer springs, but was happiest when I went back to the stock springs. My seat-of-the-pants impressions were supported by my lap times on a tough, technical loop that I routinely time myself on as a way of determining if my changes are for the better or not.
Once I got the suspension dialled it was very plush, yet never bottomed. It just soaked up everything in its path while holding a line beautifully on rough, rocky, rooty downhills.

Love the Range 3!!
I'm 6'1" and 185# and ride an XL. I have long arms and legs and felt like I was riding the front wheel on a large. I'm very comfortable on the XL, and it's definitely the right size for me, as I was professionally fitted by a very well respected shop in Southern Ontario.
I don't find the Monarch shock to be overdamped at all for my weight and riding style. I messed with the forks a bit, trying stiffer springs, but was happiest when I went back to the stock springs. My seat-of-the-pants impressions were supported by my lap times on a tough, technical loop that I routinely time myself on as a way of determining if my changes are for the better or not.
Once I got the suspension dialled it was very plush, yet never bottomed. It just soaked up everything in its path while holding a line beautifully on rough, rocky, rooty downhills.

Awesome bike!

I absolutely love my Range too. Good to hear that you do too! It's a great do it all bike. I'm really surprised how unknown Norco seems to be to so many people.

I, unfortunately, had to send my Monrach back in for Rockshox to service it under warranty, and that took three weeks. It still hasn't been completely fixed and slowly leaks air out of it. I'm considering getting it PUSH'd this down season to make it more reliable. Plus, I'd like a little bit more bottom out resistance. Beyond that though, amazing bike.

Speaking of the rear shocks on the Ranges, could someone tell me what the shock length and stroke size are on these bikes? I'm looking at buying one on Pink Bike, and will most likely want to upgrade the shock once I get it.

Any advice would be great. Also, I'm 6' tall, with a long torso- will a large be ok?

I've got an XL and I'm 6'3", which feels right for me. FWIW it's worth.
I'm also upgrading the shock on mine. I plan on getting a PUSH tuned Monarch and plan on getting the RC3. I hear the RT3 is also nice though.

Speaking of the rear shocks on the Ranges, could someone tell me what the shock length and stroke size are on these bikes? I'm looking at buying one on Pink Bike, and will most likely want to upgrade the shock once I get it.

Any advice would be great. Also, I'm 6' tall, with a long torso- will a large be ok?

Thanks!

216x63 - 8.5x2.5

What kind of riding are you planning for ? I got à rp23 for all around stuff and à vivid air for dh-ish trails... Like them both, just different uses.

Forgot to mention, this bike is impressive. I ditched my DH and XC bike for it, so the I was worried that the gaps at the end of the spectrum would be big... I was wrong. This is a very good all rounder,

I demo'd a Range 1 for a few hours and felt natural for the all mtn riding I like. For 160mm travel it pedaled great. I'm 6'3" with shoes and the L fit me. I did have to adjust my riding position forward on the climbs due to the slacker head angle. I haven't bought it because I wanted to compare it to the Trek Slash, which I barely demo'd.

The specs look fairly similar between the Range and the Slash. Can anyone give me a good description of the riding differences between these?

I'm not sure which Slash you're considering, but each one in the line up is rather nice. One thing that stands out to me is the internal cable routing for the seat post. That's rather cool.
Regardless, they're both nice bikes and you'll easily enjoy either.

I got the 2011 Range 3 that I have essentially gutted and upgraded nd it has a monarch R . The Range 3 doesn't have ART suspension, FWIW. I run 200 PSI and I weigh around 200-205 pounds when all geared up. It does seem a little high IMO, but it doesn't wallow much and sag is at 20%.

I recognize that you have an RP23, but so long as the volume of the air canister on the shock is relative; the PSI seems to be relative as well when all other factors are a constant. Admittedly, I'm not very experienced with the anatomical differences that play into how the leverage of the faux-bar suspension works on a Range, but again; I'd imagine that it is all quite relative.

I recognize that you have an RP23, but so long as the volume of the air canister on the shock is relative; the PSI seems to be relative as well when all other factors are a constant. Admittedly, I'm not very experienced with the anatomical differences that play into how the leverage of the faux-bar suspension works on a Range, but again; I'd imagine that it is all quite relative.

oups... I did specified it! Sorry for the unwanted sarcasm and thanks for your input!

can anyone compare the ride to any other compare able rides? such as an enduro, reign, meta, remedy.... I'm interested in the bike but I live in the midwest so my bike demos are pretty limited and mostly limited to the bikes my riding buddies have but I'm willing to take a risk, I just like to get as much info/reviews as possible.
Thanks

I've got time on the Range, Reign, and Remedy, and a few other 6" bikes (Nomad, older generation Norcos), and I'd say that the Range is most similar to the Remedy, in terms of pedaling characteristics / ride quality.

While climbing, it's not a mushy pedaling bike but the suspension is pretty active under load compared to the Maestro setup that Giant uses or the VPP system that Santa Cruz and Intense use, and that's either a blessing or a curse, depending on your preference. It rips on descents, I have no real complaints about its capabilities there.

Thanks for the reply, the geo looks much slacker then the remedy, are you refering to plat form and pedal bob/efficency when comparing to the remedy? So it doesn't have the pedaling efficency of the maestro.. if I understand it right? would you say it's your choice for an all around trail/all-m bike?

has anyone had any issues with the cable routing? I'm not a big fan of the routing under the down tube.

Thanks for the reply, the geo looks much slacker then the remedy, are you refering to plat form and pedal bob/efficency when comparing to the remedy? So it doesn't have the pedaling efficency of the maestro.. if I understand it right? would you say it's your choice for an all around trail/all-m bike?

You're right about what I'm saying both in regards to platform and pedal bob on the Norco and the Remedy. My time was spent on an older version of the Remedy, which had a 160mm fork on it and had similar geo to the Range I demoed for a few weeks.

'Efficiency' is a tough thing to gauge, as one person's efficient system might be one that another hates because of the anti-squat build into it. If you're considering a regular Reign, the suspension does feel less active than the Norco and the Remedy, imo, and not that that's a bad thing -- I've owned multiple Trances over the years, and I thought they were great.

There are lots of great bikes in the 6" category and I'd honestly ride almost any of them. I liked the Range a lot and I liked the Remedy a lot. There's also the Slayer, Mojo, Nomad, Wilson.... They all have their own quirks, but they're all really such good options that you can't really lose.

Thanks again for your reply, you are right there are so many great bikes in this catagory right now it is super hard to choose and they all get great reviews and there are equal amounts of lovers and haters on the forums that both make valid points, it's so difficult to choose and at that kind of money you or at least i can't just go buy a new one each year, its at least a couple year investment. i have a reign now and like it a lot. I rode an enduro and thought it wasn't as efficient of a pedaler but it felt really alive on the down hills. It was more of a dh bike that can climb where I think of the reign more so of an xc bike that can decend, if that makes sence. Maybe i'll get lucky and run into some on riding a range or walk into a bike shop someplace that will let me take one for a spin.

Thanks again for your reply, you are right there are so many great bikes in this catagory right now it is super hard to choose and they all get great reviews and there are equal amounts of lovers and haters on the forums that both make valid points, it's so difficult to choose and at that kind of money you or at least i can't just go buy a new one each year, its at least a couple year investment. i have a reign now and like it a lot. I rode an enduro and thought it wasn't as efficient of a pedaler but it felt really alive on the down hills. It was more of a dh bike that can climb where I think of the reign more so of an xc bike that can decend, if that makes sence. Maybe i'll get lucky and run into some on riding a range or walk into a bike shop someplace that will let me take one for a spin.

I remember seeing a shop up in Duncan, Vancouver Island, British Colombia that was demo'ing a Range, but I'd understand if that was out of the way.

There's this technical climb in the local state park I ride. It's rather technical and I see more people walk there bike up it than I do see people ride all the way up. I've seen Cannondale XC bikes, Santa Cruz Nomad's, Heckler's, Butcher's, Nickel's, Specialized XC bikes, 29ers-all sorts of people just walking up it. Then again, I've also seen someone with a Specialized S-Works Enduro climbing it with dual crown forks and I saw a single-speed rigid bike climb it. So, the climbing ability of the "bike" seems to be more of the climbing ability of the rider. I can make the climb, but I really do believe it's more dependent on the rider. My bike doesn't give me any negative feedback while climbing, so I enjoy how it rides. The bike rips on descents. That is for damned certain.

I feel you are 100% correct, and always feel that its the rider, not the bike in the majority of cases and that is why I take all pro/mag reviews with a grain of salt as they probably could rock a huffy just as well while it lasted. I am looking for that good all purpose do it all bike. My reign is solid but it doesn't quite have the geo I think that would be best, it's a bit noisy in the rearend, partly because of no ISCG tabs for a chain guide. This sounds like a solid contender for my type of riding. A lot of trail, some longer adventure rides, some steep, some prolonged climbs, as much DH as I can get here and some light park/jump use.
Thanks again, I'm heading to whistler for my honey moon in early june so I might see if a bike shop up there has one to look at or maybe ride.

It is funny that you bring up the slayer. When I was up in Courtenay, BC I saw a group of nearly a dozen riders. Half of then were on the range and the other half had a slayer. Everyone had ridden both and everyone seemed to have an equal appreciation. It was an interesting group

has anyone had any issues with the cable routing? I'm not a big fan of the routing under the down tube.

Not so much on the down tube, but on the chainstay the cable runs underneath, and even with a Staitline Silent Guide, the cable housing has taken quite the beating. Plus the zap straps break once in a while from wear. Really wish the driveside chainstay was able to run internal routing.

Originally Posted by cglasford

Thanks again, I'm heading to whistler for my honey moon in early june so I might see if a bike shop up there has one to look at or maybe ride.

Not so much on the down tube, but on the chainstay the cable runs underneath, and even with a Staitline Silent Guide, the cable housing has taken quite the beating. Plus the zap straps break once in a while from wear. Really wish the driveside chainstay was able to run internal routing.

Fanatyk Co. in Whistler Village had XTR equipped demos last year.

Routing wise, you can simply run the cables along the top tube, over the link then down to rear brake and mech. Worked well for me.